Could Have Been
by DaniminaFan
Summary: When Daniel Meade wakes up after a strange encounter with Betty, he is living a life he never thought would – or could – be. But what if he starts liking this new life? What if he wanted to keep it? Would he be able to? Danimina! HIATUS!
1. Chapter 1

Okay, so I got this idea of the movie "The Family Man". Kind of. And there's a bit of Freaky Friday in it too. I don't own UB or any of the movies or characters used. And tell me what you think because I wrote this on a whim!

**CHAPTER 1**:

"Daddy! Wakey wakey! Daddy, get up!"

Daniel Meade slowly opens his eyes, staring at the bouncing toddler in awe.

"Eh… I… you… are…"

"Daddy, awe you okay?"

"I'm… yeah… are you…"

Before he can ask whatever he wanted to, he hears a too familiar voice.

"William, if you're bothering your father I…"

He sits up quickly, almost dropping the kid on the ground and catching him just in time, looking at him awkwardly.

"Wilhelmina?"  
She enters the room, dressed in jeans and one of his shirts, her hair hanging loosely over her shoulders.

"Did he wake you again? I'm sorry."

He stares at her in shock and she climbs onto the bed, pressing a soft kiss to his mouth.

"Sleep well?"

"I… You… Wha…"

He notices the wedding ring on his finger all of a sudden and jumps up, putting William on the bed.

"I need to go… take a shower."

Wilhelmina looks at him, her beautiful face contorted in confusion.

"Daniel, are you okay?"

"Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. I just… need to take that shower."

"Okay."

He retreats into the bathroom, resting his head against the cool tiles while allowing the water to stream over his body.

"Think, Daniel… think. What happened? What the hell happened yesterday?"

The shower door opens and he shrieks, slowly turning to face Wilhelmina.

"Daniel, what's going on with you?"

"Headache. I… I think I'm coming down with something. Something bad."

She quickly throws the robe off her shoulders, stepping into the shower with him. His eyes widen as they travel over her body – her mocha skin, her perfect curves…

"So it's my turn to drop William off at the playgroup and then I'm going to do some shopping because there is absolutely nothing to eat in this house. I'm not going to be able to make it to Mode until about ten. Is that okay?"

"I guess…"

She looks at him with a look he'd never seen before and touches his cheek softly.

"Daniel, what's going on? You're acting really strange."

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because I can call Betty and tell her that you can't come in today, Claire and Connor can handle things at Mode…"

"Betty…"

"Your assistant? Hello, Daniel… seriously, what's going on?"

It suddenly comes back to him and he leans back against the cool tiles again.

**FLASHBACK:**

"_Hey, Daniel!"_

_She walked up to him happily and he flashed her a quick smile._

"_Hey, I gotta go, I have a meeting with the ad people and I don't want Wilhelmina to do it alone."_

"_Daniel…"_

"_She won't rest before she owns this entire company, Betty. I have to be there."_

"_Sure. Just don't forget this!"_

_She held the plate out to him and he looked at it with a smile._

"_Fortune cookies?"_

"_The advertisers are Chinese. I thought it would add a nice touch to the meeting."_

"_You're an angel, Betty! Thanks!"_

_He ran to the meeting, holding the plate out like a peace offering before he entered._

"_I brought cookies."_

_Wilhelmina sneered at him, shaking her head._

"_Fortune cookies, Daniel? Seriously?"_

_He glared at her before taking a seat next to her and the large Chinese man looked from each to the other, obviously sensing the antagonism. He started babbling in Chinese, pointing at the Fortune Cookies and back at them. Daniel and Wilhelmina shared an awkward look before reaching for the plate, each grabbing a fortune cookie and eating it quickly, stuffing the piece of paper away in their pockets._

_The rest of the day had gone by in a blur – he had three more fights with Wilhelmina, Claire accused him of using work to get over Molly's death and Betty told him off about being to hard on Wilhelmina. After a long day of work, he went home and fell asleep – only to wake up as Wilhelmina's apparent husband._

"Daniel?"

Her voice shocks him out of his reverie and he smiles down at her.

"No, it's okay. I'll go in to the office, there are a few things I need to sort out."

"Okay. I'll see you there then."

"Okay."

She gives him a quick kiss and he has to repress the sudden urge to deepen the light kiss. But then she's out of the shower and he leans back against the tiles again.

"Something really weird is going on here."


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the reviews... this is just a kind of a filler chapter, so you can see what the dates are and what had happened in Daniel's "past". I have no idea where I'm going with this, just so you know... Oh and William is a little over 2 years old.

I don't own them.

**CHAPTER 2:**

"Morning Daniel."

Luckily Betty seems to be the same when she greets him as he walks into the office. Well… mostly the same. He smiles at her, frowning slightly.

"Hey Betty. When did you get the braces off?"

She laughs, shaking her head.

"Hello, just after your wedding. Are you okay?"

"My wedding? And when was that?"

She stares at him and he grabs her arm, dragging her to his office and closing the door.

"Betty… I think I'm losing my mind."

"What? Why?"

"I woke up this morning and my life was… different."

"Different how?"

"Completely and utterly different in every way possible!"

"I don't understand."

"I think you'd better sit down."

She sits down slowly and Daniel takes a deep breath.

"Okay, this… is not my life. I… don't know how it got to be like this."

"Okay…"

"Betty, I'm not kidding. I woke up… and I was married with a kid. And I have no idea how that happened. Yesterday… Wilhelmina and I hated each other, I was working, Molly was dead and now…"

"Wait, Molly?"

"Yeah."

"Connor's wife, Molly?"

"What?"

She nods and he suddenly notices Connor walking past his office, shaking his head.

"None of this is right. Connor was with Wilhelmina and Molly and I were together. Then he stole the company's money and Molly had cancer and she died… I'm not crazy, Betty. It happened."

"Daniel, that's not possible. You and Wilhelmina got together long before Connor started working here.!"

"What?"

She nods and he rests his face in his hand.

"Betty, what's the date?"

"The 24th of April."

"And the year?"

"2011."

"This is not possible."

"Daniel, what's going on here?"

He looks up at her with a puppy-dog face.

"Betty, I woke up this morning with no memory of how I got where I am. Okay, when I went to sleep last night… It was 2009 and Molly was dead. And Wilhelmina and I had no intention of getting together. Betty… what happened to me?"

She finally seems like she believes him and she covers her mouth with her hand.

"So… you have no idea what happened in the last few years?"

"No."

"I'd better fill you in then."

"Please do!"

"Okay, here's the short version… you signed up for a dating service and your date turned out to be Wilhelmina."

He smiles, the memories of the date flooding to him.  
"I actually remember that. That really happened."

Betty just lifts a brow and Daniel smiles at her.

"Go on…"

"Well, after the date you and Wilhelmina sort of became friends. And then you fell in love and started dating. You were dating for a few months when Connor started working here. When William was born, you asked Wilhelmina to marry you and she eventually agreed. You got married when William was three months old and… well, it's two years later and you're still married. You… she makes you happy, Daniel."

"And Molly? Is she okay?"

Betty sighs before nodding.

"She and Connor got married, she's expecting their first kid. Life… life is perfect, Daniel. Well not perfect, but close."

"Wilhelmina and I… do we love each other?"

"Yeah. You do."

"Is my mother okay with that?"

Betty nods immediately.

"She wasn't at first, but she came around before the wedding."

He takes a deep breath, trying to take in all the changes.

"So… how's the company?"

"It's doing great, actually. You and Wilhelmina are both Editors in Chief and you make most of the decisions together. Connor basically runs the financial aspect of things and when neither you or Wilhelmina can make it, your mother is in charge here. The atmosphere is amazing and the magazine has never sold so well."

He closes his eyes, standing up and backing away from her.

"Are you sure it's not the 1st of April? Because I think the universe is playing one hell of a trick on me."

"Daniel, I don't know what you want me to say."

"Betty, nothing is like it's supposed to be. I don't know… I don't know what to do."

She shrugs, looking at him sympathetically.

"Go home, Daniel. Take the day off and try… to deal with all of this."

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm doing that. Please just tell... Wilhelmina… that I went home. Tell her I'm not feeling well."

"Okay. I'll do that."

"Thanks, Betty."

He flashes her a sad excuse for a smile before heading to the elevator as quick as he can.


	3. Chapter 3

I can't turn it off... Here's another chapter, it's longer and more Danimina-ish. Hope you enjoy!

Still don't own 'em.

**CHAPTER 3**

Daniel can't suppress a smile when he turns the album page to see a photo of him, Wilhelmina and William – all covered in paint and grinning at the camera happily. Another photo of Wilhelmina sitting on his lap and staring into his eyes tugs at his heart strings and he sighs, softly stroking over his face in the picture.

"How did I get here?"

"Well according to Betty you drove here."

He looks up when he hears Wilhelmina's voice, smiling instantly.

"Hey."

She enters the room, grinning when she sees the photo.

"I remember that day."

"Do you?"

She nods, sitting down next to him.

"It's hard to forget. It was our first Christmas together after all."

He simply smiles and she rests a cool hand on his forehead.

"How are you feeling?"

"A little weird… but I'm okay."

"Yeah?"

He looks up into her worried blue eyes, suddenly feeling a rush of affection for the woman in front of her.  
"Yeah. In fact… I'm more than okay."

He lies back on the bed, pulling her with him and Wilhelmina laughs, resting her head on his chest.

"Oh really?"

"I never thought my life could turn out like this."

"Are you happy?"  
Her question surprises him and he stares at her for a long time, considering every thing that has changed before answering.

"I think so. Yeah. I'm happy. Are you?"

She nods against his chest.

"Yeah. I am."

He smiles, his arms automatically travelling down to her waist.

"Weren't you going in to the office?"  
She looks at him, smiling tenderly.

"I was there, but I had the sudden urge to check on my husband… Claire can take care of things."

"You left Mode to be with me?"

She lifts a brow at the surprised tone in his voice, straddling him.

"Is that so hard to believe?"

All rational ideas fly out of his head as he watches her, his hands finding themselves on her hips instantly.

"Well, Mrs. Meade… aren't you a bit of a workaholic?"

She laughs, rolling her eyes.

"Good one, Danny. Now shut up and kiss me."

He can't help but oblige, kissing her with a strange tenderness. He pulls back after a while, looking at her with a strange light in his eyes.

"You are so beautiful."

She smiles before leaning down to kiss him again and this time he doesn't hesitate before deepening the kiss, holding her even closer before flipping them over so he is on top. They are forced to pull apart again when the phone starts ringing and Daniel sighs.

"Ignore it."

She smiles, giving him a quick peck on the lips.

"I can't. It could be the playgroup."

She reaches for the phone, keeping her legs entangled with his.

"Wilhelmina Meade speaking."

Daniel watches as she gasps, her face taking on a deadly white colour.

"Is he okay? No, I'm on my way. Bye."

His heart is beating like Africa drums when she puts the phone down and he looks at her in fear.

"What happened?"

"William… he fell out of the tree house and…"

She breaks off, looking at him with wide eyes and he rolls to the side of the bed, grabbing her hand and pulling her up.

"Let's go get our son. We can take him to the doctor for a check up, okay?"

She nods, holding his hand even closer.

"I'm scared, Daniel. What if… what if he got really hurt?"

"Hey…"

He gives her a quick kiss on her forehead, squeezing her hand.

"He's going to be okay. Come on, let's go."

"He says he's fine, but… I don't know, I just want him checked out. Maybe I'm just a paranoid mother."

The doctor smiles at Wilhelmina warmly, shaking his head.

"That is perfectly understandable, Mrs. Meade. This is not to be taken lightly, it's better to be safe than sorry. I'll send him for a CT scan and an MR – just to see if there is swelling on the brain. Then we'll take it from there."

Wilhelmina takes a deep breath, leaning back against Daniel and he wraps his arm around her waist.

"He's going to be okay, Willie."

She nods, closing her eyes.

"He is. He has to be. Daniel… if something happens to him…"

He grabs her shoulders, looking at her seriously.

"Nothing is going to happen, okay? We won't let anything happen to him. You just have to believe that he's going to be fine."

She wraps her arms around him, leaning her head against his chest and taking deep, shaky breaths and a part of Daniel is in awe because here he is, being strong for Wilhelmina Slater. Well Meade. Whatever.

But mostly, he is in awe because of the strange feeling of protectiveness he feels when he holds her. So he keeps holding her when they take William away for the test. He keeps holding her when they bring him back and he keeps holding her as they wait for the test results. The doctor finally comes back, bearing a relieved smile.

"Well, everything is fine. He does have a light concussion, but that is to be expected. Just keep him still for the next few days and he'll be one hundred percent fine.

"Oh thank you! Thank you so much!"

Wilhelmina looks at the doctor thankfully, reaching down to pick William up and placing him on her hip.

Daniel takes her hand automatically, mumbling a thanks at the doctor before leaving.

"He's sleeping. Finally!"

Daniel smiles when Wilhelmina enters the room, getting into bed with him. She flashes him a grin before giving him a soft kiss.

"Good night."

"Good night."

He folds his arms around him, closing his eyes, when a realisation suddenly hits him and he jumps slightly, causing her to look at him in surprise.

"What's wrong?"

"I just… I'm scared."

She turns to face him, leaning a hand against his cheek.

"Of what?"

"Tomorrow."

He looks at her earnestly and she frowns.

"What happens tomorrow?"

"I don't know. I just… what if I wake up tomorrow and this is gone? What if I wake up tomorrow and… I don't have this anymore? What if I don't have you and William tomorrow morning?"

She frowns, looking at him strangely.

"You've had us for over two years now, Daniel. You're going to wake up tomorrow and everything's going to be like it should be. Like it's been for the last two years."

"How can you be so sure? How… how can't you be afraid?"

"You think I'm not afraid? Daniel, the thought of losing you… losing what we have… I've been afraid of that ever since I fell in love with you. But I've woken up next to you for the past two years, Daniel. And I have to believe that it's not going to change."

"It's really that easy?"

She smiles, kissing him softly.

"It's really that easy. Good night."

She turns and he pulls her tightly against him, closing his eyes.

But no matter how long he waits, sleep won't come and all he can do is spend the night, listening to the peaceful breathing of his wife.


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews. Still don't own them. I'm working on it though...**

**CHAPTER 4:**

Daniel groans when the alarm goes of shrilly, coming to the conclusion that he must have fallen asleep about five minutes ago. He opens his eyes carefully, his heart sinking when he notices the apparent emptiness of the left side of the bed. He sits up slowly, looking around.

"Wilhelmina?"

There is no answer so he stands up, frantically praying that she'd be there somewhere. That the previous day hadn't been a mere dream.

"Wilhelmina!"

"What?"

She appears out of nowhere and he grabs her around her waist, swinging her through the air.

"I thought… I woke up and you weren't there. I was… I was so scared!"

He puts her down and she backs away from him, eyeing him worriedly.

"Daniel… what is going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

She folds her arms around herself, eyeing him worriedly.

"You're acting really strange. It… you're scaring me, Daniel."

He takes a deep breath, nodding.

"I… I get that. And I'm sorry. I just… I think we need to talk, Wilhelmina."

She nods, sighing when there's a loud, annoyed scream from William's room.

"Let me just handle the tantrum. I'll be right back."

He nods dejectedly and she flashes him a small smile.

"I love you."

She's out of the kitchen before he can reply and he comes to the conclusion that it's a good thing. Because the truth is… that he can't imagine going back to the life he had. And he feels… something… for this Wilhelmina. The one he married. But whether it is love… he simply doesn't know.

The rest of the morning is crazy – with William crying and refusing to go to the playgroup, advertisers threatening to pull out and both his and Wilhelmina's cell phones ringing non stop. It is already lunch time when she finally enters his office, looking more tired than he had ever seen her.

"Claire said William could stay with her tonight. So we can talk."

Daniel nods distractedly and Wilhelmina turns around with a sigh.

"You should go home."  
"What?"

She turns when he speaks, looking at him with a frown and he smiles, approaching her slowly, folding his arms around her.

"You look tired. You should go home. Rest."

"Is that your way of telling me I look horrible?"

Daniel laughs, rolling his eyes at her tone.

"You look tired, Wilhelmina. Go home. I'll get us some Chinese food and come home early."

"Okay. I'll see you tonight then."  
He nods, giving her a quick kiss and she leans into him for a while before walking out of his office.

"So I see everything is back to normal?"

Daniel jumps at Betty's voice, looking at her strangely.

"What are you talking about?"

"You and Wilhelmina. You not remembering anything about the last two years, all of that…"

He sighs, shaking his head.

"I wish."

"Daniel… you were just kissing her."

"She's my wife."

"Yeah. And you don't remember that."

"Look, Betty, I can't explain it. All I know is that… I care about her. I don't want to lose the life I've gotten into. I don't know how it happened."

"Do you love her?"

"I don't know, Betty! All I know is that I don't want to wake up one morning and find that this is all gone."

Betty sighs, nodding.

"Okay. But… you have to talk to Wilhelmina about this. You realize that, right?"

"Yeah. I know. I'm going to do that tonight."

Betty pats his shoulder, looking at him sympathetically. He smiles, noticing the ring on her finger for the first time.

"You're engaged?"

"Oh. Yeah. I keep forgetting you forgot everything."  
"Who's the lucky guy? Matt?"

"Matt? Eh… no. Matt and Marc are together."

"Matt is… Matt and Marc? Are you serious?"

Betty nods, glancing at her ring.

"I'm engaged to Gio."

"Thank you for taking William tonight, Claire. Daniel and I… we really need to talk."

Wilhelmina yawns, lying back on the bed, the phone pressed to her ear closely.

"He's been acting strange lately. Jumpy. I don't know, maybe it's my imagination. I just…"  
She stops talking when she notices Daniel standing in the doorway, sitting up slowly.

"I have to go. Call me if William is any trouble. Bye."

She throws the phone on the table, looking at Daniel worriedly.

"Do I get to find out what's been going on now?"

"Yeah… we need to talk, Willie. And I don't think you're going to like this."

"Okay…"  
She looks at him and his heart breaks when he notices the strange vulnerability on her face.

"Wilhelmina… Willie… something happened to me. The day before yesterday."

"Something? Like what?"

"I woke up… in this life you've been living for the past two years and I don't know how I got here."

"You mean… you forgot everything?"

"Something like that. I have… different memories than you."

"I don't understand, Daniel."

He sighs, taking her hand in his.

"Wilhelmina, you remember the internet dating? The one where they paired the two of us up?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, up to the date, we have the same memories. But from there… I've been living a different life. I don't know how to explain it, but in this life… you and I are married while in the life I remember… you dated Connor and I dated Molly… Everything was different."  
She pulls her hand out of his, backing away from him cautiously. She sounds strangely familiar when she talks to him from the other side of the room.

"Did you fall and bump your little head?"

"No."

"In that case, I'm calling a psych ward. They can help you."

"Wilhelmina, I'm not crazy."

"Do you have another excuse for this rambling, Daniel? Because you're telling me that my whole life is a lie!"

"I… I'm sorry, Wilhelmina. I just honestly… don't remember any of it."

He approaches her and she pulls away again, staring at him furiously.

"So… in this… life you remember… how do you feel about me?"

"We… well, after Connor stole the company's money we kind of blamed each other and now… we get along. We're not the best of friends, but we get along."

"We get along? That's it? Well then tell me Daniel, who the hell was holding and kissing me last night?"

"Wilhelmina…"

"Get out."  
He makes another move towards her but she turns her back on him, her voice angrier than it was when Alexis demoted her back to Creative Director.

"Get out of my house, Daniel. Right now."

He takes a step back, lowering his voice.  
"Wilhelmina. I never meant for this to happen. But I'm glad it did, because now I got a shot at what could be. And… I've started caring about you in a way I never thought possible. I know what I told you doesn't make sense and I know you're probably scared and freaked out in so many ways, but I just want to say that… every kiss, every touch… it was real. I didn't do it to fool you. I did it because… I wanted to. I still want to."

She takes a shaky breath, turning around.

"What do you want me to say, Daniel?"

"I don't know."

They stare at each other awkwardly and he finally approaches her again, taking her in his arms to hold her. And she lets him.


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks again for the reviews. I had the hardest time with this chapter! Still own nothing.

CHAPTER 5:

Wilhelmina looks at Daniel nervously, fastening a necklace around her neck before pulling on her dress.

"Are you sure this isn't going to be weird for you? Having dinner with Connor and Molly."

Daniel looks at her with a small smile, his heart jumping at the sight of her.

"No. Why would it be weird for me?"

"Oh because in your… memories of life or whatever you want to call it… you're in love with Molly and… Connor and I…"

"Oh. That. No, it won't be weird. I mean… you love me, right?"

"Yes."  
"And Connor… there's nothing there?"

"Of course not!"  
"So. It'll be fine."

Wilhelmina glares at Daniel, unable to hide the jealousy in her voice.

"Except for the fact that you're in love with the bland kindergarten teacher."

"Are you jealous?"

She shrugs and Daniel laughs, putting his arms around her waist.

"Wilhelmina, look at me. You have no reason to be jealous. Molly and I… that was another lifetime. In this life, you're the one I love."

"Only you don't, Daniel. You can't remember that you love me."

"But I feel it, Wilhelmina. I look at you and I feel… something. And that's enough for me."  
She shakes her head, pointedly avoiding his eyes.

"It's not enough for me, Daniel."

He sighs, touching her cheek.

"Willie, give me a chance. Loving you is inevitable. It'll happen if you'd just… give me a shot."

"How much time do you need, Daniel? How much time should a wife give her husband to start loving her?"

"Wilhelmina… I know this is hard, I know it's not ideal. But it's what we have."  
"It's not good enough!"  
The Wilhelmina he knows is suddenly present, anger flaring in her blue eyes.

"Don't you understand? I can't keep embarrassing myself! Do you have any idea what it's like living with someone and loving them more than you've ever loved anyone and not have them loving you back?"

"No. I don't."

She's about to say something back at him, when the doorbell rings and as quickly as her temper flared up, she composes herself again, forcing a smile onto her face.

"I'll just get that."

The thought of Wilhelmina being near Connor without him there, suddenly upsets him in a way he never thought possible and he grabs her hand, pulling her towards him.  
"I'll come with you."

"Fine."

* * *

"Hi!"

Connor and Molly both smile happily when the door opens, their expressions freezing when they notice the looks on Wilhelmina and Daniel's faces. Connor frowns slightly, stepping closer to them.

"Is this a bad time?"

Wilhelmina regains composure again, shaking her head.

"Of course not. Connor, Molly. I'm glad you could make it."

Molly smiles politely, handing a bottle of wine to Daniel.  
"This is for you guys. To say thank you for inviting us over."  
Daniel can't help but smile at her, a slight electric shock thrilling through them when their fingers touch.

Wilhelmina snatches the bottle from him, smiling falsely.

"I'll just take this to the kitchen."

She storms off and Connor steps back, noticing a strange look between his wife and Daniel.

"Is Willie okay?"

Daniel nods, not taking his eyes off Molly's blushing face.  
"Yes. She's fine. Come in."  
They follow him inside to the dining room and Connor checks towards the kitchen worriedly.

"Are you sure Willie is okay?"

Daniel looks at his friend, suddenly aggravated.

"My wife is fine, Connor. Why are you so worried?"

Before Connor can shoot back a reply, Wilhelmina returns, sitting down at the table and bowing her head.

"We can eat."

Connor holds out both his hands, smiling at his friends.

"I'll pray for us."

Wilhelmina and Daniel both stare at him in awe before Wilhelmina shrugs, placing her one hand into Connor's and the other into Daniel's, Molly doing the same on the opposite end of the table. Wilhelmina's eyes meet Molly's and the two women eye each other wearily before closing their eyes while Connor's voice rings through the dining room.

The dinner drags by painfully, among small talk about Mode, Meade and new recipes – with the occasional mention of Molly's class. Finally, Wilhelmina stands up, smiling brightly.

"I'll go and get dessert!"

Connor jumps up quickly, grabbing his and Molly's plate.

"I'll help you."  
"Thank you, Connor."

Daniel glares at them as they walk to the kitchen, pretending to listen to Molly droning on about her class and how one kid draw a picture about something that impressed her for some reason, irritably trying to figure out how long Wilhelmina and Connor are actually taking in there.

"Willie, are you okay?"

She looks at Connor with a fake smile, nodding quickly.

"I'm fine."  
"Don't lie to me, Wilhelmina. We're more than colleagues. You're my friend. I know you, I can tell something's wrong. Tell me what's going on!"

The tears that had threatened for the last two days finally make their way to the surface and she takes a shaky breath, wiping them from her cheeks.

"I'm just being… stupid."  
"You're Wilhelmina Slater-Meade. You aren't stupid. Talk to me."  
"I just… I'm worried about Daniel. He's been acting strange and I… Connor, there's something I need to tell him, but I can't. Not now."

Connor looks at her sympathetically, putting an arm around her shoulder and pressing her close to him.

"Willie… if there's anything I know, it's how much you and Daniel love each other. You can tell him anything. So if I could give you advice, it would be to talk to him. Tell him how you feel."

She shakes her head against his chest.

"I can't."  
"Yes. Willie, you can do it."  
"Do what?"

Wilhelmina and Connor both look up when Daniel's angry voice suddenly sounds at the kitchen door.

Daniel shakes his head, not noticing the tears on Wilhelmina's face – all he sees is his wife in his friend's arms and it infuriates him to the point of no reason.

"You have not changed at all, have you Wilhelmina?"

He storms off without another word, leaving behind a stunned Connor and a heartbroken Wilhelmina.


	6. Chapter 6

First of all, thanks for the reviews. Secondly, sorry for not updating in forever - I had to do my practical teaching and that and the no-internet thing kind of got me down. I'm back at uni now, I'll update when I can - between all the classes, tests and projects.

Don't own 'em.

* * *

"Connor and Molly are gone."

Daniel looks up when Wilhelmina talks from the bedroom doorway, looking at her blankly.

"I told them you weren't feeling well."

He keeps staring at her blankly and she sighs, sitting down next to him.

"Daniel, talk to me."  
"What do you want me to say?"

"What you saw in the kitchen…"  
"I don't want to talk about that. I don't even want to think about it."

"Oh and I'm supposed to just ignore the romantic look between you and Molly?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about you staring at Molly the way your mother used to stare at a bottle of Vodka! How do you think that made me feel?"

He jumps up from the bed, looking at her furiously.

"A damn sight better than what I had to feel like when I caught you in Connor's arms!"

"You didn't catch me in his arms, Daniel!"

"What would you call it then?"

"You caught him comforting me! Because unlike you, he noticed that something was wrong and unlike you, he cared enough to ask me about it!"

He's about to bite back when he realizes what she had said and he looks at her with concern etched over his face.

"Something's wrong with you? Why didn't you talk to me?"

Wilhelmina looks at him dejectedly, shaking her head.

"Because I wanted to talk to my husband. And you're not him."

"Wilhelmina…"  
"Forget it, Daniel. I'll just sleep in the guest room tonight."

She's gone before he can think of a retort and he simply lies back with a sigh, wondering how the hell he managed to screw up a seemingly happy two-year marriage in two days.

* * *

"Daniel?"

Daniel awakes with a start when he hears the soft voice, instantly opening his eyes.

"Hey… what's wrong?"

She climbs onto the bed, crawling into his arms.

"I miss my husband. I'm sorry I was such a bitch."

"I'm sorry I didn't trust you. I was… I was jealous."

She looks up at him, her eyes misty.

"Why would you be jealous?"

"Because you're my wife. And when I saw Connor holding you… I lost it. Because you're mine and…"  
"And what?"

He looks at her seriously, cupping her face with his hands.

"I think I'm falling for you."

Wilhelmina presses her lips against his, closing her eyes.

"There's my husband."

He kisses her softly and she responds without hesitation, pressing her body against him tightly – feeling safe in his embrace. Daniel holds her closer, unable to process the amazing feel of her in his arms. She finally pulls away a bit, looking at him with a tender smile and he frowns when he notices tears shining in her eyes.

"Willie, what's wrong?"  
"I think I'm pregnant."

His whole body freezes, his mind unable to process the revelation.

"That… it's impossible."

"It's what I thought too. But… apparently not."  
"Are you sure?"

Wilhelmina shakes her head, crawling into his arms – her frail body trembling.

"I'm scared, Daniel."

"Scared? Of what?"  
"What if I really am pregnant? Are we ready for another baby in this house? Because… I just don't know."

"Willie, look at me."

She forces herself to look into his eyes and he smiles tenderly, resting his hand against her cheek.

"If this is true… if you really are pregnant… then we will be able to handle it. We'll be okay."

"What if we're not? I mean… we're barely coping with William. What if another baby is too much? Or what if something goes wrong with the pregnancy? Or what if…"  
He silences her with a tender kiss, resting his lips against hers for a few seconds, his hands caressing her hips calmingly.

"Wilhelmina… everything is going to be okay. Stop with the what ifs. It's going to be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am one hundred percent certain. We can do anything together."  
"I love you, Daniel Meade. I love you so much."  
He smiles, holding her a tidbit closer.

"You know what, Wilhelmina Slater… I think I love you too."

"Yeah?"

He laughs, nodding.

"Yeah."

Her whole demeanor changes all of a sudden and she looks at him sensually. Daniel gulps at the look she gives him, taking a shuddering breath.  
"I would do anything for you, Wilhelmina Meade."

"Will you kiss me?"

"I'd be honored to."

Their lips meet slowly, the kiss quickly escalating into a passionate one and Daniel pulls her closer, almost crushing her slender body with his.

Wilhelmina completely succumbs to him, drinking in the feeling of him completely.

"I love you."

"I love you too."


End file.
